§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the cost to British industry of traffic congestion. [65218]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonLast year's White Paper on the Future of Transport explained, as background to the new policy framework set out in that White Paper, that traffic congestion is costing the economy billions of pounds every year, and that traffic forecasts based on pre-White Paper policies pointed to more congestion and increasing costs. As mentioned in para. 1.7 of the White Paper, published estimates of the costs include the CBI's of £15 billion per annum, and National Economic Research Associates' of £7 billion per annum.